MSTRKRFT - The Looks

When DeathFromAbove1979 called it quits last year, few thought they had heard the last from either member. First to rise from the ashes is bassist Jesse F Keeler. The impressively swift nature of DFA1979's rise and subsequent fall is mirrored by the length of time it takes to get bored of his new band's debut LP, The Looks, which will come as a shame to those familiar with MSTRKRFT's remixes. Daft Punk comparisons may be justified genre wise, but they are of a distant calibre to the Frenchmen's early albums. The overuse of vocoders and robotic vocals quickly grates, with little to distinguish one track from another. Few warrant second spins (the title track and Neon Knights perhaps exceptions) in what is ultimately a disappointing offering. Without meaning to stoke the flames of Keeler's dispute with the litigious James Murphy, patience is recommended: LCD Soundsystem's return is imminent. [Finbarr Bermingham]